Last time we got promoted was 2015/2016 .. And we want promoting this season .. So how does todays squad compare? .. are we better / worse? Who would you play ..
Vs Brighton - last game of the season :
Dimi
Nsue Ayala Gibson Friend
Clayton Leadbitter
Stuani Ramirez Adomah
Nugent
Expected starting lineup as things stand this season :
Dieng
Ayling RVDB Clarke Engel
Howson Hackney
Izzy Azaz McGree
Manu
Pick your starting 11 from those 2 teams ..
GK: Dimi - Couldn't leave the big man out. Produced in the big games and was virtually ever present for two years in his late 30s. That catch against Brighton an atmospheric all-timer.
RB - Luke Ayling - Love "Ain't Nobody Like" Nsue, but Ayling to me is the best right back we have had as a club since his namesake Mr Young. Defensively solid, a leader on the pitch and off it too.
CBs: Ben Gibson and Daniel Ayala. Some defensive pairings etch their name into Boro folklore through grit and determination alone. Boam and Maddren. Mowbray and Pallister. Southgate and Ehiogu. Dani and Gibbo did so too, by being the backbone of our promotion triumph. Cannot displace either of them as a unit, top quality as our current options may be.
LB: George Friend - even now, the one player I can safely say I was blessed to see represent our club. Embodies everything "The Boro" should be.
CMs: Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter - Are Hackney and Howson probably better individual players, naturally. But as a midfield pairing, Clayts and Grant were the glue that held the mighty Aitor workmanlike style together. Clayton, an absolutely brilliant holding midfielder who could pass a ball incredibly well. Leadbitter, our captain, a scorer of great goals and often the starting point of most of our pivotal attacking moments in that period. Can't displace them.
RM: Cristhian Stuani - Some players are defined by what they do in the biggest games, rather than what they do across 46. Massimo Maccarone v Steaua. Joseph Job v Bolton. Ian Baird v Newcastle. Patrick Roberts v Reading. Stuani's goal on the last day of the season against Brighton meant more to this club than any league goal scored during last season. A big game player who packed a punch despite being played out of position for most of his time at Boro.
LM: Albert Adomah - An entertainer, and a consummate professional who deserved to grace at least one season of an illustrious career in the Premier League - it should have been us who gave him that opportunity.
CAM: Gaston Ramirez - Forget the deadline day transfer request. Forget the temper tantrum sending off against Bournemouth. Gaston Ramirez was pound for pound the catalyst for a second half of the season which ensured we didn't have to put up with playoff heartbreak once more. That silky difference-making playmaker is what Michael Carrick's current team is sorely missing.
ST: Emmanuel Latte Lath - This one pained me, as I genuinely loved Big Dave Nugent during his time at Boro. But the man we call ELL has displayed more attacking prowess in one season in a Boro shirt than virtually any forward not called Chuba or Paddy in our time in the Championship. A testament to our improvement in recruitment over the last three years that we were able to identify him before the big boys came sniffing.
Think a bit of perspective wouldn't go amiss here. This side, as things stand, hasn't yet realised its potential. I think it will do, and I believe this year will be the first promotion season we have enjoyed in ten years. But let's not be hasty and immediately rush to comparisons with the last great team we assembled - that side was dynamic and quality to watch when on song, and we should try to celebrate it for what it was.
